Idk what to tell you, mate (just used the sunflower to waste sun and a seedpacket slot from the upgrades, and no, i didn't used cheats).
First wave is kinda problematic but not as bad as you describe it, and cherry bomb would have been a better pick tho.
I can make some adjustments to the level, but again, there are way worse levels in the game. Thanks for the feedback anyways.